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Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is not about making the best turkey or fluffiest mashed potatoes. It’s not about posting the cutest photo and getting the most likes on Facebook. And it’s not about doing the most Pinterest projects with your three year old and making handprint turkeys and pilgrim hats so that you look like a good mom.

You’re a good enough mom no matter what you eat on Thanksgiving. No matter what your kids wear and no matter what memories you make.

But we get bombarded with commercials and magazine ads showing perfect families roasting perfect turkeys while wearing perfect sweaters. It’s easy to forget what the holiday is about when so many marketers and companies have hijacked it for their own purposes.

So take a deep breath, mama, and close your eyes and tell yourself that it’s okay to burn the stuffing.

It’s okay.

It’s okay.

Instead of worrying about your child’s Thanksgiving outfit or stressing about whether you are creating enough traditions, take a moment to give thanks. Write a list. Anything counts.

Or don’t write a list. Just sit and think for a long moment about the blessings in your life. Even the trite silly blessings, like: Hey, this shirt I’m wearing isn’t stained with spit up!

Here are ten things I am incredibly grateful for today:

Aforementioned shirt. Seriously. So glad the spit up phase is over.

That I’m shivering because that means the Pasadena heat is finally finally over and I can wear cozy sweaters again.

My laptop

Time away from my children

Crunchy red apples

My Thursday morning Zumba class

Iced decaf coffee

That I have not fallen back into the arms of caffeine, that cruel mistress, who torments me and turns me into a horrible anxious beast